From 1st July almost all enclosed public and work places in England will be smokefree. It will be against the law to smoke in the indoor parts of places such as pubs, bars, nightclubs, cafes and restaurants, lunch rooms, membership clubs and shopping centres. Local authorities across England are preparing for an increase in extra cigarette litter and in Wigan Borough, the council wants smokers to assist in keeping the local street scene tidy.
The council has won £15,000 of government funding to drive home the message that discarded cigarette butts are still litter. It is providing beer mats, wall mounted ashtrays and special ‘stubbi’ pouches in places where there is the greatest risk of more rubbish.
Local authorities across England are gearing up for a deluge of extra cigarette litter once the ban takes effect. The Local Government Association (LGA), which represents over 400 councils in England and Wales, is warning that street cleaners will need to concentrate on areas outside pubs and clubs in the months following 1 July.
Wigan Council is one of twelve councils taking part in a national campaign run by Keep Britain Tidy, the Wigan-based national environmental charity. A survey carried out by Keep Britain Tidy last year revealed that nearly 80% of town centres were blighted by cigarette ends and packets.
Pubs in Wigan, Leigh, Ashton and Atherton will be given posters, beer mats, 1 wall mounted ashtray and stubbi pouches – a pocket size way of getting rid of cigarette butts without dropping them on the street. These will also be available to the public at Wigan and Leigh town halls and libraries in the 11 main town centres.
Keep Britain Tidy posters are on display in bus shelters and on bill boards across the borough. The Mayor of Wigan, Cllr John O’Brien, launched the borough’s campaign at the Berkeley Pub in Wallgate, Wigan along with council street scene staff - see picture above.
Reformed smoker Cllr O’Brien told the press:
"The council is committed to improving the cleanliness and environmental quality of the borough. When the new smoke free law comes into effect on 1st July we anticipate that smoking related litter could increase – in fact it is already a significant problem.
“So we are keen to support our local businesses to try and prevent any further cigarette related litter being dropped in our town centres.”
